


Orion

by japastiel



Series: étoiles dans les yeux [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, BlackIce, Drugs, M/M, Past Drug Use, Rehab, Smoking, Tattoos, Very AU, hard drugs, hot dads au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 06:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/japastiel/pseuds/japastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack has a bad day</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orion

Jack has some bad days, where things just don't go right. He trips over his own feet and burns his hands all the time at work. Then there are the really bad days, where he runs into people from his old crowd or comes across an old hangout by accident. And he remembers. Flashbacks to bright lights, the smell of acrid vinegar just under his skin, and nights he won't ever get back. Just thinking about those times makes his heart race, mostly for all the wrong reasons, and he likes to lie to himself about why. He knows it's not just about losing himself, losing his life and losing Koz. It's about how easy it all could be. Just step across that line and let go. 

It's one of those sorta-bad days. Jack got a nasty cut on his palm and needs more band-aids and anti-bacterial ointment before he goes home. It's well after closing time for most stores, so the 24 hour pharmacy in mid-town is the closest option. He finds everything he needs, pays and almost makes it out the sliding door back into the freezing slush when he is face to face with a dunk gaggle of people he has hazy memories of partying very hard with. He avoids eye contact but they definitely notice him. Between his bleach-white hair and facial piercings, it's hard not to. He sidesteps them and is almost free-

"Hey, don't I know you." one of the girls slurs.

"Sorry. Don't think so-" he keeps walking.

"Nah, man, I swear you used to party with us-" she gets closer and narrows her eyes.

"Sorry, I don'-." Jack starts backing out the door still avoiding any direct eye contact.

"Well," she cuts him off and shamelessly looks him up and down, "you should. We're going out now-"

She finally captures his gaze, and he pauses. She knows that he knows her. He would know those green eyes and red nails anywhere. He pauses and looks back at her friends. He knows how the night could go. He's finally come to the crossroads and he gets to choose. Jack hesitates, looks back at her and narrows his eyes capturing her eyes and not letting go. 

"No. Sorry. Have a nice night." He shakes his head, turns around and leaves them wondering why in the too-bright fluorescent lights. He pulls his keys out and lets out a breath of air he didn't realize he was holding and smiles at the misty cloud it creates. The crisp winter air feels amazing in his lungs and reminds him why he needs to get back into his truck and go home to Koz. Breathing easily will forever feel amazing. He turns the engine over, clicks on the heater and drives too fast through slushy puddles. By the time he gets home , he realizes he was so lost in his head he doesn't even remember the journey. 

The gash on his hand is long forgotten to more troublesome thoughts. Jack climbs out of his truck, tosses the bag on the dining room table, pulls out his pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and climbs the stairs to the top floor. He slides the window open before grabbing a lighter and swings out onto the roof. The nearby tree branches should obscure him, but he will be able to see when Koz comes home. Jack figures he must be working really late on the new case he took last week. He watches as hazy car lights slowly drive by. Minutes pass and light snow starts to blow across the sky. Combined with the halo around the moon, it makes Jack think of heaping snow on bridges, classic movies and years of being alone. Despite everything, he loves winter and snow. It's far better than the sticky heat of the summer and rain in the spring. He always feels more alive when late fall brings the first snow. 

He lights up a cigarette. He promised Koz he would quit by the end of the year. He had two more weeks and he is gonna enjoy every single inhale of menthol laced tobacco. 

The bright lights of Koz's car pull up in the driveway next to Jack's truck. He really should go back inside, but he doesn't feel like talking to anyone right now and Koz can always tell when something is up. Jack flicks his cigarette butt into the snow below and lights a second. He really doesn't want to think about what happened earlier. He decides that laying on the second story roof watching the snow drift across in the moonlight is a much better idea. 

He hears hoots from the owl that has been roosting in the front yard tree and sits up to look for it. He's sure that if he finds her he can get a picture, so while he balances his cigarette between his lips and fishes for his phone in his jacket pocket he doesn't hear Koz sneaking through the window. Koz might be all legs and arms, but they help him move stealthily and Jack almost falls right off the roof when he finally says, "Hello Jack." leaning up against the window dormer in the shadows like a dark specter. 

"Jesus, Koz. Way to sneak up and almost kill me." Jack scoots back from the edge. Koz points at the glowing cherry of Jack's second cigarette, "tossing those off the roof still burning is dangerous, and gave your hiding spot away." He walks over, sits, and gives him one glance before asking, "So, what's wrong?"

Jack knows he can't lie or just try to brush it off. Koz saved his life and he loves him and this only keeps working if he's completely honest.

"I ran into some people I used to...hang with" He whispers and takes another drag of his cigarette. He swears every drag calms him despite his shaky hands.

Koz considers this with his unreadable face. "And, what happened?"

"Well, I just walked away. It felt easy enough, it's been two years since I've seen them, but I could see how it would all play out in my head, if, you know, I did go with them. It would have been easy enough to just....go."

"But you didn't. It had to be harder to walk away."

"Yeah, I guess." Jack sucks in, burning all the way back to the filter and flicks it off the roof. He lights a third. 

"I'm glad you came home." Koz leans into Jack. "I'm proud of you every day you make those tough choices." he wraps a long arm around Jack's shoulders. "and I love you, very, very, much Jack." 

Jack smiles down at his knees that are tucked into his chest. He leans back into Koz. "I love you too, old man." Koz huffs and kisses Jack's temple. "Before you know it, you'll be my age, Jack-ass. Then we'll both be old men."

Jack laughs through smoke, "Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right. Then it'll be up to Emily to tease us, huh?"

"She will. She's getting all her pointers from you, too" Koz looks down at Jack with a playful smirk, "So maybe cool it with all the old-man jabs," 

"Nice try, Kozzy." Jack smiles and sucks down his last cigarette in a comfortable silence, absorbing the radiating heat from Koz. He tosses the cherry-red butt off the roof into the snow and leans back.

"The stars are so bright when it snows." He pulls Koz back by his jacket collar. 

"Oof-hey you could be a little more gentle. And put out your cigarettes or you'll burn down the house." Koz grumps and brushes snowflake droplets off his lapels. Jack completely ignores him and points up, "Look, right there, isn't that Orion?"

Koz nods, and points, "See the belt, right there, those three stars," 

"Yeah,"

"Above that, in his right shoulder, is Betelgeuse,"

"Really? like the guy from the movie?"

"Well, no, it's a red supergiant, one of the most luminous in our night sky, it's so large that if it were in our solar system, it would engulf all the planets all the way out to the asteroid belt." 

"Holy crap" Jack sounds amazed.

"It's also a dying star, and when it finally goes supernova, it will rapidly collapse and violently explode and will be so bright that people here on earth will be able to see it during the day."

"Wow, that's bright..." Jack stares at the star and wonders when it will finally blows if anyone is out there close enough that it'll really matter. 

Koz's vision narrows in on Jack's hand. "Hey," he gingerly touches Jack's upturned hand, "what happened here?" 

"Oh, yeah, that's why I was out at the pharmacy this evening to start with" Jack breathes in, wishing for one more cigarette, "I was helping Aster cut some sheet metal and it slipped and-" Jack grins sheepishly. Koz knows he cuts himself on the regular. 

"You should let me clean and wrap that for you-" Koz looks concerned.

"I have all the stuff downstairs."

Koz shuffles his hands back into his pockets, "Good. Well lets go back inside where we won't freeze to death and I can clean your hand up." He leans up on his elbows but Jack has other ideas and swings his leg over to straddle Koz's hips. "I think my hand can survive a couple more minutes." he whispers into Koz's neck and nibbles his way down Koz's jaw, to his mouth. He swears he hears Koz mumble but I might not, which just eggs Jack on. 

Making out is always fun. Making out under the stars, moon and snow after a crap day is even better. Jack wishes every day could end this way. Koz definitely agrees, and sits up, pulls Jack's hips as close as their clothes will allow and growls before biting and licking his way past Jack's lips.

Abruptly, Koz pulls away, "We have to go inside." 

"Whyyy?" Jack whines. 

"Because if we continue, I will rip your pants off out here and one of two things will happen," Koz leans down to whisper into Jack's ear, "either a neighbor will hear and find me fucking my gorgeous boyfriend on the roof in the snow, or one of us would likely get frostbite in a sensitive area and I don't want to take that chance." Koz stands and offers his hand to Jack. "so we must, therefore take this inside because those options are unacceptable." Jack takes Koz's hand.

"Fine, fine. Spoil sport." Jack grins and leaps back through the window, "last one with pants on is..." Jack's voice trails off, as he rushes back to their bedroom, shedding clothing unashamedly as he goes. Koz swings back through the window, latches it shut and starts peeling off his coat and picking up Jack's abandoned garments.


End file.
